How to Tell Someone About Poor Customer Service

Take a day to cool off before making a formal complaint.

If you are receiving or have received poor customer service in the past, then you know how frustrating these situations can be. Poor customer service can be attributed to multiple factors such as the individual representative or company policy. If you are the victim of a poor customer service situation, handle the dilemma by using the tools that are available to you. Realize that the rude representative is not the only person that you can consult to resolve your problem.

Things You'll Need

• Event log
• Telephone

Instructions

1. Write down the date and time that the poor customer service incident occurred. Take down as many details as you can remember from the conversation or interaction with a tape recorder, your computer, or pen and paper. Be as honest and clear as you can. Don't embellish details but don't omit anything either. Try to remember the associate's name that helped you and the location of the venue if possible.

2. Take a day to cool down. When you complain at the height of your anger, you are likely to be less reasonable than if you wait so that you can think clearly. This can also work to your advantage as no one, even those of authority, want to deal with an irate customer. Remember that those in authoritative positions can make or break your case, so you want to be in the proper mindset so that you are as respectful as possible.

3. Call the location and ask for a manager. If the manager is present, relay the situation and what you hope will come out of your complaint, within reason. If not, leave a message and request that the manager reach you as soon as she can. Be vague about the matter so that she doesn't avoid calling you back to avoid confrontation.

4. Visit the manager at the location. Call ahead to see if he is in, or when he will be working next, and take that opportunity to address the issue in person. Be respectful but be firm with your request. Try to remember that the manager was not the employee who was initially providing poor service.

5. Contact the corporate office or the owner, for a smaller company. Unfortunately, sometimes managers are also neglectful of customer service responsibilities. Another problem lies in that some managers have little authority to do anything about employees who are providing poor service. Most large companies have websites with contact information. For smaller companies, ask for a business card or for the owner's information. If you are unable to reach anyone by phone or email, write a formal letter of complaint.

References

• The Customer Service Zone: Why Your Customers Complain And What You Can Do About It